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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. bound — obliged
  5. can — to be able to
  6. spell — letters
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. kick — in football
  9. race — the arms race
  10. spell — magic
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. can — a tin
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bound — certain
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. can — a tin
  23. spell — a short time
  24. race — humankind

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com